My Dear Butler, Now and Forever
by KuroNightroad
Summary: Zero has had enough trying to handle Kaname, who never ceases to harass him on a daily basis. Yet, he knew he was unwittingly falling for his infuriating young master. And it doesn't help when a certain demon is determined to snatch him away at any cost. YAOI.
1. Begin Again

Warnings: Angst, Violence, Gore(supposedly), and OCs.

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**Author's Note:**

Yes, I have finally gotten around to rewriting this fan-fiction and its plot.

Frankly, I must say I'm pleasantly surprised. I haven't updated, much less touched this fan-fiction in a little over _four years_ and I still am receiving favorites and alerts every few months in the long run. I had initially assumed that this fan-fiction would have been long buried beneath new crossover fan-fictions of these two fandoms by now—but well, you readers had certainly proved me wrong (:

Anyhow, that's enough chitter-chattering from me now. Enjoy.

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Kuroshitsuji © Toboso Yana

Vampire Knight © Matsuri Hino

Fan-Fiction Plot and Original Characters © Kuro Nightroad/ Me

**My Dear Butler, Now and Forever**

**A Kuroshitsuji and Vampire Knight Crossover**

**Prologue—Part One**

**"Begin Again"**

_The passage of time is changing,_

_And as the gears of reason rust,_

_We won't be able to go back…_

_I hate this world._

_Yume no Ashioto ga Kikoeru—Mizuhara Kaoru_

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The bells of the church were tolling as though they were grieving, the gray skies weighing heavily on the atmosphere of the funeral. The unfamiliar faces continued to fill the main hall, silent as they paid their final respects to the deceased.

The twelve-year-old paid their pitying gazes no heed, for he could only keep his eyes glued to the peaceful faces before him—the young couple seemingly comfortable in the twin crafted coffins lined with obsidian gemstones.

_Coffins._

That was what the adults called those _fancy boxes_, the latter term being what his younger brother had preferred to call them. Zero, however, did not share the same opinion—knowing that it was a term inevitably tied with 'death'.

"_Coffins_… _Death_…" He murmured quietly under his breath. His own voice sounded no less stranger and foreign to him even as he tested the words on his tongue. "…_Death_." He repeated quietly to himself again, unsure of how he actually felt about the word.

Just six years back, the word held no meaning to him when he was first made to attend a funeral.

_Death_ had meant nothing to him when the faces inside the _coffins_ were unfamiliar to him.

And now, two faces that were more than just familiar to him were in there. Now… his _parents_ were in those _coffins_.

Heavy footsteps approached from behind and came to a halt by his side, prompting him to look up and into deep sapphire eyes. Nothing was said between the two solemn individuals, but Zero understood perfectly what his godfather was trying to convey. He nodded, assuring Yagari that his message had gotten across and with a gentle ruffle of his silver hair, Zero watched as the towering man left for his carbon copy—who hid in a blind spot by the sidelines, sniffling and wiping at his falling tears occasionally.

Ichiru jumped, frantically rubbing away at his eyes, not wanting to be seen looking so vulnerable. However his younger brother broke down as soon as Yagari went down to eye level to speak with him. Zero felt his heart clench again, watching in concern as Ichiru choke on his quiet sobs whilst being comforted by their godfather patting his head gently.

The heavy feeling weighing on his chest soon lifted somewhat when his younger brother was sent over to his side. Thin arms encircled his small shoulders in a tight, squeezing hug and he returned the gesture gingerly. Hot tears soaked into the thick fabric of his black jacket as his numb fingers rubbed little circles on Ichiru's trembling back. Zero then felt a stinging sensation from the back of his eyes.

Slowly… his eyes closed shut.

There was acceptance.

…and there was resignation.

They were both grim, and bitter feelings tight in his gut… although he did not quite understand it.

_**CRACKLE.**_

_**SHATTER!**_

Furiously, the bright red of flames burst forth from the chandelier above and rained countless shards of burning glass onto the screaming crowds below.

Zero winced from the searing heat, the sharp projectiles cutting into the flesh of his arm as he shielded his panic stricken brother. His tearing eyes darted across to the giant oak doors of the church, repulsed by the sight of both men and women alike scrambling to climb and trample over one another to escape with their lives.

He watched with wide eyes, the crackling flames alive and mad with a frantic fervor as they continued to spread and swallowed even the supporting pillars—cracking ominously before giving a final croak and the roof cave in on the frantic crowds. Dreadful howls and screams filled the air as bodies were crushed and mangled, the horrifying scene making the twelve-year-old sick to his stomach as the fiery red consumed it all after.

Ichiru crumpled to the floor, wrecked with violent coughs and his eyes brimming with tears. Zero quickly crouched down, attending to his brother—eyebrows creased with worry even as he were coughing and choking on the black smoke as well.

Similar eyes of amethyst as his own, glassy and full of fear, stared up at him.

No words were needed, for he understood exactly what was running through his brother's mind at that moment.

He wrapped his arms around his brother firmly in a protective hug, pressing the latter's nose to his jacket.

"Everything will be alright." _We aren't going to die here._

Zero felt a soft nod against his shoulder, and he managed a rare smile in spite of their current predicament.

"So this place, is not yet dust…?"

The brothers flinched at the calm voice that spoke, recoiling in fright at the dark figure emerging through the flames of the fallen, burning chandelier. Though partially obscured by a pure-white mask as though he were to attend a masquerade, the dark figure's chiseled and defined features was that of a man in his late thirties.

One could not help but feel how out of the place the man was, his donning of an expensive gold and black suit beneath a heavy red cloak amidst the brewing chaos. He continued down the burning charred aisle, his lifeless eyes of dark crimson piercing and glimmering the golden red of the flames dancing up a storm through the crumbling church.

They watched him approach with heightened caution, their grip on each other rigid and painful with their knuckles white as a sheet of paper.

_Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud._

The man was like a phantom despite his echoing steps.

_Thud. Thud._

_Squish._

_Thud. Thud._

_Crack._

_Thud. Thud. Thud._

And he did not seem to feel a thing as he walked through the countless corpses, their blood staining his polished shoes a fresh red.

The brothers felt chills creeping up their spines, the realization of imminent danger dawned on them as the man came to a stop before their quaking statures. Ichiru buried his face in the crook of Zero's neck, positively shaking in fear as his brother pressed him closer—whilst staring defiantly back at the man towering over the both of them imposingly.

The man then unexpectedly kneeled down on a knee before them.

Much unlike the eerie and bloodcurdling impression the man had initially given both brothers, the hand that brushed against Zero's hair was cold, yet gentle. The man spoke again, and the twelve-year-old gave an involuntary shudder.

"Do you wish to live?"

_Yes._

Zero felt as though he was staring into an abyss, his entire body numb under the scrutiny of the empty gaze on him. The endless black within those dark pools of crimson seemed to beckon him to take its outstretched hand and never let go.

"Answer me, boy. Do you wish for you and your brother to live?" The man asked again, offering his hand to the brothers.

_Yes._

Dazed and uncertain, Zero reached for the hand offered to him instinctively.

_Slowly…_

_Slowly…_

_Yes._

_That's it…_

_I want to live._

"**ZERO!**"

There was a desperate tugging on his jacket, his brother's frantic voice pulling him out of his stupor and he looked down at Ichiru, watching him with terrified eyes. Without another thought, he nodded reassuringly and quickly withdrew his hand. They backed away carefully and clung firm to the other, unable to tear their eyes away from the man's eyes—still transfixed on them with a strange glimmer that neither could put a finger on.

_**RUMBLE.**_

There was a tremor, shaking the entire structure.

The man straightened, surveying what remained of the crumbling church. He casted a sidelong glance at the pair of brothers with a quiet murmur, and retreated back into the flames—disappearing as though he had never been there.

"…_Farewell_."

_**CRASH!**_

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**Author's Note:**

I'm really sorry that this is so short but like mentioned above, this is only the first part of the prologue. Yes, I split the potentially long prologue I had planned out in half—simply because I have yet to finish the second part. So again, I'm sorry, but the next chapter will be the second and final part of the prologue before we can dive right into the more serious sexy man-on-man action that I know _**A LOT OF YOU DEAR READERS HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR!**_

How am I absolutely positive of this? 'Cause I got spammed with tons of email notifications of favorites and follows during the time while I was gone haha.

On another note, all readers please be informed that I will be **removing the old chapters** before uploading part two of the prologue so I can get the notifications up and running for those who followed this story. And **NO**, I won't be putting the old chapters up any where else, so I don't want to see or hear any complaints or questions about this matter later on. Okay?

Well, I think that's all for now. Here's hoping I can have the rest of the prologue up by the following week or maybe even earlier if possible (:

Until the next chapter then!

~Kuro-Chama


	2. Prologue

**My Dear Butler, Now and Forever - Vampire Knight and Kuroshitsuji Crossover Fan-Fiction**

**Thanks for all the favorites and story alerts :D I was really shock when I saw all the email notifications in my inbox, my expression was like this: O.O "oh my god!"**

**AoiYume-sama – Thanks so much for the review! I'll try hard to finish as many chapters as I can xD**

**DarkxGash – lol I don't want to spoil the suspense so I'll just say this: there will be various pairings in this fanfic. Kaname x Ciel? :P Haha that's a good idea, but won't Kaname be called a pedophile? Well, I'll still see where I can put that pairing in if possible! xD**

**thfourteenth – I guess someone hasn't put up Kuroshitsuji in the anime/manga category yet so I'll put this in the VK section first. Maybe when it comes up I'll post it up there too ^^**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own VK or Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters.**

**(The story plot and all Original Characters are copyrighted to me.)**

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Prologue

_My Life is devoid of meaning – Kaname Kuran_

Crimson eyes stared out of the window into the distance. Kaname Kuran blinked as his ears picked up the all too familiar footsteps of someone nearing his bedroom. He ran a hand through his dark chocolate brown hair before placing his head against the window even as his door was thrown open. His eyes registered the girl reflected in the window.

"As always, you're sulking away in your room out of boredom again." She commented, her hands on her hips. Kaname groaned loudly, shifting his gaze to avoid the sharp stare he was receiving from the crimson eyes of his intruder. "You have the body of a twelve-year-old but you behave like an _old hag_…"

Shizuka Hiou flinched and glared at him, crossing her arms. "I can't help it if I don't act my body's age, Kaname. And you don't need me to tell you that we're actually older than twelve-year-olds." She huffed, flipping back her silvery white locks as Kaname just shrugged. She surveyed the boy in front of her for a moment, noting the deadpan tone and his nearly dead behavior. Coming to a decision, she grabbed his wrist and dragged him out of the room.

"Shizuka, what are you doing?" Kaname raised his eyebrow as he dragged his feet after her. "I'm kicking your ass out of dreamland." Was her reply and he let out an audible grunt as she dragged him out of the Kuran Mansion.

Kaname trotted down at the dirt path of the countryside, kicking small stones along the way. It had been a while since he had slipped away from Shizuka. He could not be bothered to think about how angry she would be to know that he left her all alone to play by herself at the lake.

To Kaname, his life can be described in one word: _boring_. There was nothing to do. He could only think about being a puppet manipulated by his parents. No, his parents, Juri and Haruka Kuran, are not evil enough to be forcing him to do anything he does not want to do. It was just that he could not answer them what he wanted to do in his life and instead asked them to tell him what to do.

He jumped slightly as he heard laughter in the distance. He contemplated if he should take a look at who it was. He rolled his eyes; _Just taking a look doesn't harm anyone. It's not like a bear is going to jump out or something._ Kaname then stuffed his hands into the pockets of his shorts, walking towards where the laughter was coming from.

And he marveled at what he saw.

A wide field of blooming white lilies, but that was not what Kaname admired. A pair of twins, no older than six, was playing amongst the lilies; both had silver hair and lilac eyes. They were laughing as they threw a red ball to one another while a golden retriever chased after them.

He kept his eyes fixed on the twins, watching in awe.

"Found you!"

"Ouch!"

Kaname gripped his head in pain, looking up at his irritated childhood friend. "What was _that_ for!" Shizuka huffed, ignoring the question as she squatted down beside Kaname, "Why are you spying on those people for?" The question was left hanging for a minute before he answered. "Not spying, I'm just looking at that child." He pointed at one of the twins, Shizuka raised an eyebrow. "What's so special about that kid? I mean, I don't see any difference between him and his twin brother…"

Kaname sighed in annoyance, "Then you're blind. It's obvious that they are _different_." True enough, Shizuka noticed that one of the twins looked more solemn than the other. "…I-I knew that!" She pouted as Kaname resumed his staring. After sharing a moment of silence, Shizuka's patience quickly wore out and her lips curled into a mischievous smile.

"For you to stare so hard at that kid… Is he your _type_ or what?" She mocked.

Another moment of silence passed, and she thought about getting up and leaving Kaname there. That is, until he let out a sigh and answered in a daze, "Yeah, maybe…"

She froze. _What!_

_.…._

_All I ever wanted, was to live in peace with my Family – Zero Kiryuu_

The rain pelted down like ice cubes on the remains of the barren land.

The hard surface felt cooling against his cheek. The smell of blood and the rain mixed on contact with each other. It churned his stomach. He grimaced, remembering his lower body that was buried underneath the rubble of the white chapel.

His silver hair was sticking to his face as his dark lilac eyes were half closed. He made no effort to try and get up and all sounds seemed to have been drained, the surroundings became silent. Zero, who was barely eleven, listened to the light footsteps that approached him. He glanced up to see an older boy, maybe around the age of fifteen.

"Leave me alone." He forced himself to say, grimacing at the fact that it sounded like a plea while it hurt to talk as his throat was dry. The older boy's dark chocolate brown hair was dripping wet as his eyes, which shone brightly like a pair of rubies, gazed at him, who was barely conscious. He only kept silent.

Seeing that he is not going move, Zero's chapped lips stained with dried blood, formed a grim smile. "Or did you come to watch me die, _Vampire_?" He received no answer as his conscious slipped slightly.

The heavy weight on top of him was lifted, the surroundings slowly being blurred by the rain that had started again. Each drop resounded, resembling the chime of a church bell. The older boy lifted Zero into his arms, his eyes glowed crimson as he placed his mouth to the cold porcelain skin on his neck.

"From now on, you are _mine_, my dear beloved."

A cry escaped Zero's lips as he felt a pair of fangs pierced his skin, sinking into his veins.

Zero felt strangely comfortable. Shifting slightly, he curled into a ball into the softness and warmth that surrounded him. He shivered and pulled the blankets tighter around his small frame. _Wait! Blankets!_ He pushed himself upright in alarm, finding himself in a giant canopy bed covered in red silk with gold lining.

Getting off the bed was a bad move, Zero groaned in pain as he sunk to the floor holding his head. There was a sharp pain in his head which throbbed with each step he took. With much difficulty, he stumbled out of the room and into the hallway. He did not know where he was going, but something at the back of his mind was telling him to keep moving. He stopped in front of a door, and reached for the handle when he heard voices.

Shizuka and Kaname sat opposite of each other, a chessboard separating the both of them. Moving a white pawn forward, Shizuka let out a breath she was holding as she looked at Kaname. "So have you informed Aunt Juri and Uncle Haruka about that child staying here?"

It was obvious that she was not interested in Kaname's personal matters but if it was able to make small talk with her now stoic childhood friend to break the silence, it was worth it. Kaname made his move and took her white pawn as he answered.

"It doesn't matter how much my mother and father disapproves of this. I'm planning on keeping that boy."

Her crimson eyes remained disinterested and tired before they widened in surprise as the news finally sunk in. She leant forward in her seat, "You can't be serious!" Kaname merely blinked in amusement, a smile graced his lips. "Oh, but I am."

Putting a hand to her head, Shizuka leant back and sighed. She opened one eye and inwardly groaned at the smile on the Pureblood's face. "I've known you for so long already, yet I don't know whether you're just plain simple-minded or seriously mad." She finished, moving a white bishop piece across the chessboard.

Kaname just smiled as he moved a black knight piece. "Checkmate."

He watched as she blinked in surprise. "Hey!" He chuckled at her reaction and leant back on his seat. Shizuka grumbled a bit before reading the look on Kaname's face. She tried hard not to wince; it was never easy to change the Pureblood's mind once he had decided on something.

Reaching for her teacup, she took a sip from it. "That boy came from a line of _Vampire Hunters_. If I were you, I wouldn't even consider taking him in. He's a threat to us… or are you planning to _manipulate_ that child?" Shizuka questioned wearily, making sure to choose the right words to use. Kaname stood up from his seat abruptly, a mocking smile on his face. "As always, you ask too many questions."

Before Shizuka could react, they both heard the soft pattering of bare feet running outside in the hallway. She fell back into her seat, "You'd better go. That child probably got the wrong impression with the way you answered my question…"

"Sorry for the trouble, Shizuka." Kaname apologized as he rushed out the door.

She smiled, "Anything for you, _little Kuran_."

Kaname approached his bedroom, and knocked on the door before peeking in. He stifled a laugh at seeing young Zero hiding underneath the blankets on his bed. He stopped short as he reached for the covers.

"Don't touch me, Vampire!" Zero yelled, clutching the blankets tighter around him. He hated _them_. Why did something like this happen to him? He would rather have died with his brother under that chapel than have to be a toy for a vampire to play with. He listened on for any more movements, nothing. But he knew that the vampire, Kaname, was still there.

Said vampire was tilting his head to one side, trying to think of a way to approach Zero. Saying his condolences on his parent's death was a definite no-no. And an explanation on why he turned him into a vampire seemed to be a bad way to start a conversation with the state Zero is in now.

_This is getting no where…_ Well, it was obvious.

"You don't have to pretend to be nice to me."

If he was going to be manipulated, Zero would have wanted to be treated like a prisoner than be treated nicely. For all he knew, the _kindness_ he receives would probably be a sick game on the vampires' part; to give him false hope before crushing it entirely. He removed the covers and faced Kaname with a grim smile.

"I'd rather be treated badly than be part of the sick games you, Vampires, so like to play."

"Wait, you're mistaken. I don't have any intention of-"

"Don't patronize me!" Zero spat, hatred dripping from each word said. His lilac eyes unwavering, staring hard at the crimson eyes that gazed at him. Kaname watched as the younger boy broke off eye contact and curled into a ball, facing away from him.

He sighed.

Zero froze as the side of the bed sunk and a pair of arms embraced him. He gritted his teeth as he struggled to get out of the Pureblood's hold. "Let go of me, you Vampire!" Kaname held firm until Zero gave up and stayed still, sulking away. The Vampire grinned as he patted the boy's head, "Now that's a good lil' boy."

It did not take long for Kaname to be punched straight in the face.

Well, that's just the beginning of their friendship.

_.…._

_Demons have no conviction or loyalties, only aesthetics – Sebastian Michaels_

It was already too late when Lord Randall arrived at the scene. The police commissioner watched; his eyes wide at the sight before him.

The body of a man was laid against a grand staircase of a mansion. The walls, everywhere, were painted red with blood. Lord Randall received the autopsy, reading it as his body trembled. There were no signs of injuries or anything that could have caused so much blood loss in the victim. It was impossible; the victim's organs all seemed to have stopped functioning at the same time.

It was as if his life force was taken from him and caused a whole body failure.

The police commissioner shook his head. It was revealed that the victim had organized many secret ceremonies which involved black magic, but there was no way he would believe it. There was no such thing as black magic, demons or the super naturals.

The demon laughed, the moon shining against his back as he licked the blood off his hands.

"Such a _lovely_ tainted world." Happiness in the human world is overrun by the root of all evil and sins, greed. He smiled again; the man who summoned him was adequately filling. However, taking just this one soul in so many centuries is not enough. The demon wanted more; these humans who became rotten and taint their sanctuary by bringing demons like him into their world to wreak the balance.

It would be fun to mock these humans when their world finally breaks.

"Hmm?" He hummed, there was another summoning.

His smile grew wider. "These humans are _unpredictable_."

_.…._

_Once something is lost, it will never return – Ciel Phantomhive_

A blade slashed his abdomen. Blood splattered everywhere as an emblem drawn on the floor glowed. Ciel watched as a figure materialized.

"My, you're rather _small_ for a master aren't you? Are you aware of the consequences of signing a contract with the _devil_?" The demon smiled, obviously not bothering to mask the mockery in his tone. As if to mock him back, Ciel looked at him and answered.

"Would someone who believes in _God_ have summoned you?"

The demon laughed, "Then I shall only ask this once, is it thy wish to form a contract?"

The child clicked his tongue, his patience running short. "Shut up and grant my wish!"

He chuckled, his eyes glowing red as he reached out his hand to Ciel. "Then the proof of the contract as well as your wish." Ciel closed his eyes, giving his demand. "This is an order: Kill _them_! Sebastian!"

"Yes, my Lord."

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**Finally, the end of the prologue! Took me quite a while to get this out ~ (My fingers are tired =.=)**

**Zero and Kaname's "past" in this story are the BIG killers on my brain and it's the best I can come up with… Sebastian's "past" was just something I thought up on the brink of being dragged along the road by my dog ^^; While Ciel's "past", I simply read through all the Kuroshitsuji manga I had, volume 1 to 5, and watched all the current episodes in order to try and interpret it as much as I can.**

**Hopefully all of them came out right o.o**

**Now onto chapter one~!**

**Anyway, Read and Review! Please and Thank You!**

**~Kuro**


	3. Troubles from a Troublemaker

**My Dear Butler, Now and Forever**

**Vampire Knight and Kuroshitsuji Crossover Fan-Fiction**

**And finally my brain has started working again -.-**

**Sorry for the wait *sweatdrops* my stubborn brain decided to stop working when I wanted to do Chapter One of this fanfic… (Just another one of my MANY lame excuses xP)**

**DarkxGash – Thanks for the review again xD I thought Kaname and Shizuka would fit better as best friends rather than enemies. "Bring your friends close, your enemies closer." :P hehe I'm seriously twisting that phrase. By the way, thanks for the info on the Black Butler category ^^**

**simply anonymous – Thanks for reviewing ^^**

**Derdimant – lol a Playful Sebastian and a Icy Zero, it'll take a while before that pairing comes out xD**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own VK or Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters.**

**(The story plot and all Original Characters are copyrighted to me.)**

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Chapter One

_"Payback is an understatement." – Ciel_

Half of the Kuran household servants flinched as they watched an angry Zero Kiryuu, in long strides, hurrying down the hallway. "Where is Kana- I mean, the Young Master!" He demanded; it was obvious that he was more irritated than flustered.

Either everyone did not know or they were just too frightened to answer him. Unfortunately, the tensed silence only served to irritate the young butler further. Zero was about to snap at them to give him a reply when he heard a timid voice answering his question.

"Y-young Master is still in his room, Kiryuu-san…"

Zero turned around with a scowl fixed on his face, making the young maid jump. "Then why didn't you say so earlier!" He then hurried down the hallway, grumbling under his breath. He stopped short at the end and glared at every servant lingering in the hallways, watching him wearily. "What the hell are you looking at! Get back to work!"

They shriek in horror and ran off as Zero felt the back of his head throbbing. He twitched and strode his way towards Kaname's room.

Five years. It has been five years since he started working for the Kuran Family. Zero had to remind himself of that often, _thanks_ to the Young Master, Kaname Kuran, who never ceases to give him a headache on many occasions.

He knocked on the door thrice and received no reply. He sighed, he knew that Vampires do not wither in sunlight but he really wondered why they still hate operating during day time. Opening the door, he felt his patience snap as he slammed the door loudly and went to draw the curtains.

"It's been an hour since I last asked you to wake up, just how long do you intend to sleep, Kaname!" He could not be bothered to hide his annoyance. Kaname winced as the sunlight splashed onto his face. He ignored Zero and tried to snuggle further into the covers on his canopy bed when the blankets were pulled from his body.

Kaname sat up with a grunt and looked at Zero, who was glaring at him. "You haven't changed a bit since you became my butler. Can't you be more polite and less forceful like a gentleman?" The silver-haired butler rolled his eyes and threw the blankets in the pureblood's face. "You're the one who told me that I don't have to pretend and hide my real self." A pair of hands slipped around his shoulders.

"I said that because I don't want to be a stranger to you. I want to be _closer_ to you than anyone else."

Zero's face flushed bright pink as he glanced back at the taller vampire, "Kaname…!" He stopped short, feeling a hand sneaking low. He twitched before drawing his arm back and jabbing Kaname in the ribs. "This _is_ the _real_ me! And stop feeling me up, you perverted vampire!"

The said _perverted_ vampire doubled over, releasing the younger vampire, who proceeded to the wardrobe to pull out a black dress shirt and white pants. "Hurry up and get dressed. Lady Juri and Master Haruka are waiting for you. After lunch, you have an appointment with the Phantomhive Family."

Yawning, Kaname got himself dressed as Zero made his bed. "Ah, that's right; Ciel wanted to meet us about _that_." "Yes, _that_."

_.…._

Sometimes Kaname really wondered why he never bothered to hire a chauffeur. He would rather have an irritable Zero riding behind with him than watch him drive in the front. But he knew that the silver-haired butler would just ignore him if he did that.

That would be even more _unbearable_.

He watched Zero's reflection in the side mirror, slightly amused at how focused he is on the road in front of them. He soon shifted his attention to outside of the car, thankful that it was not as sunny as when he woke up. A moment passed and the Phantomhive Mansion came into view. _As grand as the Kuran Mansion_, he thought.

Although it was grand, Kaname and Zero could feel that the air around the mansion gives a different feeling. There was a sense of grief but it was over powered by the presence of something else; a cold, hellish feeling in the gut. They knew that presence all too well.

The Phantomhive's butler, Sebastian Michaels, stood in front of the mansion awaiting them.

_.…._

Sebastian shook his head in disapproval, "You cannot, Young Master. We're having guests for dinner tonight, are we not?" Ciel's frown was pulled longer as he repeated himself. "Come on, just do it. I want something sweet, like a parfait." He clicked his tongue as Sebastian refused again.

Giving up, he stood up. "Oh yes, about that portrait in the hall…"

"Yes?"

"Take it down. The head of Phantomhive estate is now me, _Ciel Phantomhive_."

Sebastian only smiled but not after he felt two inhuman presences drawing near the mansion. "Understood, and our guests have arrived." Ciel looked out of the window to see a black car approaching around the corner, "Hm. About time."

Sebastian then bowed and left to greet the guests, leaving Ciel to return to reading through his documents. But none of the information on the papers was processed by the twelve-year-old Earl. He huffed and rested his chin on his hand, his eyes narrowed. "How insulting, looking down on the Phantomhive Family."

Just then, a loud cry followed by a crash and explosion was heard.

Ciel blinked and smiled. After all, _that_ would only mean his _talented_ butler had more work to do.

While Sebastian, well, he was a little more than unhappy despite the smile he kept on his face. After leaving the car, Zero and Kaname tried hard not to take notice of the wilting garden and the broken shards of the table wares. Ciel had apparently left his study to greet Kaname, intending to let Sebastian take care of the mess that his other three servants had created.

"So, just how did things end up like this?"

Sebastian decided to give the three culprits a chance to explain themselves. They only ended up crying and apologizing frantically while he checked the time. They were running short of time.

"Mind if I help?"

Zero stood behind Tanaka as Sebastian smiled, "Oh no, you're our guest. It wouldn't be _appropriate_." He twitched; the demon was obviously hinting that Zero would only be in the way. More than anything, Zero hates to be called a _burden_.

"You have another guest that'll be coming soon. At a time like this, shouldn't you be getting all the help you can get?"

No matter how confident he was, Sebastian could not help but feel slightly doubtful.

In a way, vampires are more superior compared to demons. Vampires are free to roam both the human world and hell. They cannot be bound by a contract, there wasn't even such a contract in the first place. That, and the fact that vampires can recreate their own kind.

But that was not what made him feel inferior.

_.…._

It had never crossed Ciel's mind that an adult would have a childish side to themselves.

He was quite _amused_. He sneaked glances at the pureblood in front of him while pretending that he was reading the documents that he had received.

Kaname's lips were drawn into a small pout as he stared hard at the cup of tea he was holding. It would probably have shattered if he actually glared at it, but he had to keep his cool. He knew that Zero would call him a 'brat' again if he broke anything. It was still not enough to simmer down his petty frustration though.

"Is the thought of your butler leaving your side _that_ frustrating?"

Kaname looked up at a chuckling Ciel. "_Very. _Especially when he's dealing with your _talented _butler." He replied with a smile, earning an amused hum from the young Earl.

"Thanks again for returning my factory, Kaname."

"You're Yuki's fiancé after all."

_Zero would disapprove of me keeping something that's not mine too._

Ciel shrugged, "More like you do as you please, Kaname. I haven't chosen my fiancée between Elizabeth and Yuki yet and you know that." He did not know why, but he felt that he could trust the pureblood with his thoughts. Perhaps it was because he's like an older brother.

The young Earl could not help it; he felt not a wit of unease, owing a favor to Kaname. After all, there were many that would not bother to return one's property when sold without consent. At least, that's what Ciel wanted to believe.

And there was still the problem of the person who sold off his manufacturing factory in India without informing him, Mr. Damian was it? He could not be bothered to remember, he just wanted to get back at that _tricky old coot_.

_.…._

It was nearing evening when that Mr. Damian arrived. Kaname sat in Ciel's study, occupying himself with a book he borrowed. He was asked by Ciel to stay hidden while he _entertained_ the guest. _Of course_, he figured. If the other guest saw him, it would be a tip-off that Ciel already knew of his deeds.

He had to admit, he couldn't care less if Ciel wanted to return the little _favor_ to that man. But he did not want it on his conscience if Zero had anything to say about it.

_"Payback is an understatement."_

Well, at least he _tried_.

Kaname shut the book in his hands; he had barely started on it but grew bored of it quickly. The content was not that interesting anyway. He got up and walked out into the hallways. Ciel is keeping the other guest busy until dinner, so it was unlikely that he would be caught.

Meanwhile, soft pitters pattering of footsteps were heard in the corridors on the lower floors.

"Sebastian-san, I found it!" Maylene said cheerily before tripping over her own feet as Sebastian looked up from cutting the beef that Bard had charred. Fortunately, Zero caught her and the boxes that she was carrying. "You shouldn't run while carrying things."

The maid's face turned red as she jumped back, stuttering that her glasses were broken and she could not see very well. Ignoring her unneeded excuses, Zero placed the boxes on the table to open them as Sebastian turned to Maylene, Bard and Finnian. "Good job everyone. Now you can leave the rest to me and Kiryuu-san. Please try your best to stay calm. _Stay calm_ as much as possible."

_He said it twice…_ They thought as they watched him return to the kitchen to put up the finishing touches for dinner.

_.…._

"Don't your cheeks hurt from sulking so much?"

Zero finally asked Kaname reluctantly, dropping two blood tablets into a glass of water. He kept his eyes fixed on the tablets that slowly dissolved, staining the water red. He could feel Kaname's eyes on his back. "You've been pale since this morning… really, you shouldn't force yourself to resist _it_ so much."

Kaname tilted Zero's face to look at him. "Don't starve yourself."

Zero swatted his hand away in mild protest; he did not want to drink from Kaname. "No, you'll get in trouble again if your parents find out." He saw Kaname smiling as he pulled the red tie around his neck loose, unbuttoning his top. "_If_ they find out." He repeated.

Zero felt his fangs grow and throb, urging him to sink them into soft flesh and draw blood. He swallowed hard, hands trembling as they clutched Kaname's arms tightly. The pureblood shivered as he felt Zero's tongue slide over his exposed skin before letting out a slight groan as he bit down hard.

His lilac eyes flashed red as he drew the richly sweet blood, filling his mouth one after another as if to savor it before swallowing it. The younger vampire purr in delight, unconsciously pulling Kaname down to a leaning position as he half sat on the table. Kaname had to place his hands on each side of Zero, supporting himself while being careful not to tip the forgotten glass of 'blood'.

After drawing another mouthful, Zero stopped and withdrew his fangs from Kaname's neck. Just then, they heard a sound. They turned their heads to see a horrified man, his fearful eyes widening at the sight of a trail of blood from Zero's lips and their glowing crimson eyes.

Mr. Damian ran out, yelling as Sebastian walked in. The demon only chuckled, "If you wanted to feed, don't you think you should do it more discreetly? You'll scare our _guest_." Zero snorted, wiping the blood from his lips. "Too late, we already _did_." He paused for a while, "You had this planned the _whole_ time anyway."

Sebastian smiled, "Did I?"

Without another word, he shut the door and headed for the kitchen, leaving the two vampires alone. Kaname narrowed his eyes; he has to be weary of that butler. There was a glint in the demon's eyes that spelt trouble for him.

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**That's the end of chapter one~**

**A little notice, School is going to reopen soon so updates on this fanfic might be slower after. So many apologies in advance first, just in case.**

**Please Read and Review! Thanks!**

**~Kuro**


	4. Jealousy, Envy and Fond Affections

**My Dear Butler, Now and Forever**

**Vampire Knight and Kuroshitsuji Crossover Fan-Fiction**

**OMG! I'm so sorry for the late update! DX**

**It's evening, and I'm blissfully ignoring the mountain of homework that had accumulated behind me… And I'm really sorry for putting this story off for so long and updating my other stories… (sobs in a corner)**

** (Here come the ranting excuses) **

**I had thought that I would have time over the weekend to update, boy was I WRONG. My crazy teachers went bombastic and dumped a whole truck load of homework on me! Well, that's to be expected, considering that I'm taking my Os and I actually have an Art Coursework to work on before the June deadline. Sighs, now I'm wishing to drop outta school -.- And there's my 'eccentric' English as well as Literature teacher who takes 'pleasure' in giving his students 3 English essays and 1 Literature essay per week… you do the math and try it to see how pressurizing and traumatizing it is… (is sobbing away)**

** (And that's the end of my 'cut to really short'-long rant) **

**DarkxGash – It's alright xD I really love to hear your reviews on this fic. In fact, I hope you can review on every single chapter I write! Hehe… Sebastian MIGHT just 'assault' them xD who knows… oh wait, I do know… *evil snickers* ;P **

**takara94 – :D whee ~ a new fan? I'm glad you like it! x3**

**Exposed-x-Chrysalis – Lol really, I thought people would think that Sebastian is kind of OOC :P I haven't really gotten a hold of his personality yet. In any case, I appreciate you reviewing!**

**freya kurenai – Thank you very much for the compliment! x3 Goodness, you're making me blush from embarrassment ~ By the way, I should tell you this, I was reading your VK fics when I received your review via email! O.o it was such a shock! In any case, I look forward to more reviews from you :D**

**Azab – Ehehe ~ I see you're not a fond fan of Yuki ;) Don't worry, even though I made her a possible wife candidate for Ciel, that's about as far as I would go on their relationship. She's only a minor character like Elizabeth x3 although I have to admit to having fun when writing about the two girls fighting over Ciel xD hehe…**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own VK or Kuroshitsuji or any of its characters.**

**(The story plot and all Original Characters are copyrighted to me. And one of them is going to appear in this chappie! :D)

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Chapter Two

_"Sometimes actions shows more affection than words." – Kaname_

"Lady Maria! Kindly refrain from running in the hallways!" Ichiru Kiryuu called out to his Lady's niece, Maria Kurenai, who slowed into a walk, cautious with every step she took. He could not blame her though; everyone was excited for Yuki Kuran was paying a visit to the Hiou Household today.

Ichiru was no exception. After all, her brother, Kaname Kuran would be too busy to escort her. Therefore, the only other person left to escort her would be his beloved twin brother, Zero Kiryuu.

He swiveled around as he heard a sudden yelp. Maria had collided into another servant, sending the clean laundry scattering onto the floor. He sighed; _I think I know why Lady Shizuka said 'good luck on trying to handle Maria today'._

Maria apologized profusely as she scrambled to pick the laundry up, only to crumble it and apologize even more. The servant girl gave a kind smile indicating that she was not angry. Ichiru walked up and picked Maria up before bringing her away to the lounge. He had to prevent her from causing anymore inconveniences for the other workers.

Maria looked up at Ichiru with her wide timid violet eyes, "Sorry, Ichiru… I'm such a klutz." Ichiru smiled as Maria blushed pink. "Not at all, you're only nervous after all. Take a deep breath and try to calm down." The young Lady did so and smiled brightly back at the butler. "Thanks, I feel much better now." Ichiru let go of her as they heard footsteps coming their way.

"Maria-chan!" Yuki exclaimed as she made her way towards the two, Zero trailing behind. Yuki Kuran was a petite girl like Maria, with long flowing chocolate brown hair that contrasted with the other girl's cotton candy lavender hair that was in two pigtails.

The Kuran princess was dressed in a pink cotton turtle neck blouse, which had a red rose embroidered above her heart, with a black skirt laced with frills and black stockings with pink shoes. Maria only dressed in a simple cream-colored sundress with orange floral patterns at the hems.

_Just like a pair of dolls._ Ichiru thought as the two girls hugged each other before giggling and chattered on. Zero cleared his throat, "The two of you can save your girl talk for later. Yuki, it's rude to not greet the mistress of the house, you need to thank her for letting you visit today." Yuki's mouth formed an 'o' and pulled Maria by the hand as she rushed off. "I'll be right back Zero-chan!"

Ichiru laughed as Zero told her to stop adding the _childish_ suffix to his name and that it was dangerous to run indoors. The older Kiryuu twin groaned as Ichiru's laughter died down to chuckles. "Trying being called 'Ichiru-chan' day in and out before you think it's funny." The younger twin dropped his smile and visibly grimaced. Yup, definitely not funny.

They shared a small silence before Zero turned on his heels to walk in the opposite direction. He only stopped in his footsteps when Ichiru's hand reached for his neck and his other arm circling his waist in a seductive manner. "Now is this how you treat your _baby_ brother after not seeing him for so long?" Zero cocked his eyebrow and glanced at him, "If I recalled correctly, you're no longer a _baby_, Ichiru. Last time I checked, you've already hit puberty."

Ichiru chuckled as he pecked Zero on his cheek as the arm he had on his brother's waist slid down to grope him. The older twin flinched. Ichiru seemed amused before grinning slyly. "I see Kuran has yet to _do_ you." His grin grew wider as his brother's face went red. He was about to go further on his teasing when Zero spoke. "Alright, what happened?"

"Hm?" Ichiru blinked, tilting his head to one side, allowing Zero to free himself from Ichiru's hold. The older twin put a hand to his forehead, "You know very well what I'm getting at. You always tease me to get my attention whenever you're having girl…" He paused for a bit, correcting himself, "…relationship problems."

Ichiru seem to pout. "Things aren't going well with Raymond?" The younger twin was about to answer when he spotted another butler heading their way. _Speak of the Devil._ Raymond Braveheart, the _object_ of Ichiru's affections. Raymond was of an average height for a fourteen-year-old, his black hair soft like baby hair and bright turquoise eyes. Despite still being a child, he had an air of maturity surrounding him.

The boy was currently looking at the ground and has yet to take notice of the Kiryuu twins. But before Zero could call out to him, Ichiru, without thinking, shoved his brother against the wall and closed the distance between their lips. Raymond was taken aback as he looked up at the sound of Zero being slammed against the wall and his eyes widen when he saw Ichiru kissing his older brother.

Struggling to push Ichiru off, Zero opened his mouth only to give Ichiru a chance to slip his tongue in to silence him further. Sneaking a glance at the younger boy, Ichiru tried hard not to jump. The boy had an unreadable look on his face as he turned around to walk back, pretending as if he had not seen anything.

Ichiru did not mind if Raymond had scowled, cried, smiled or anything so long as he gave a reaction. However, the boy just brushed it off, pretending he saw nothing. He had to admit, it hurt. Even more than the punch he received on the shoulder from Zero.

After grunting several times in his head, Zero looked at Ichiru and sighed. He patted the younger twin's head, comforting him. "Want to talk about it over some coffee?" Ichiru looked at him in question, "Isn't it supposed to be 'tea'?"

"…I don't want to sound like an _old nanny_ taking care of some problem kid."

Ichiru felt the sides of his lips twitching upwards as he laughed. Zero breathed a sigh of relief, glad to put a smile back on his brother's face.

_.…._

Kaname was disturbed to say the least. Firstly, there was Zero who had left with his younger sister, Yuki, to visit the Hiou Family. Secondly, he was losing miserably against Ciel in a board game. Thirdly, he was desperately resisting the urge to gouge out the intrigued eyes of Sebastian.

Not that he really was going to do it. Call him overly sensitive if you must, but it was rather _distracting_ when you have a demon looking at you like you were a toy put up on display. He glanced at Ciel who either had yet to notice the staring or could not be bothered. He groaned inwardly, directing his glares on the dice spinning on the board.

"You're going to burn a hole in the dice if you keep glaring like that."

Kaname nearly squeaked, hearing the mischievous tone Sebastian used to whisper into the pureblood's ear. Keyword _nearly_ squeaked. He let out a short gasp instead, and turned his head in alarm. The demon butler had a smug smirk on his face which made Kaname growl lowly in annoyance. Ciel glanced up from the board after moving his piece. He noticed the sparks flying between the two adults in front of him and mentally rolled his eyes.

He really wondered who the real child amongst the three of them was.

"I'm going to take a break." He announced loudly, breaking up the stare down competition. The pureblood's eyes were filled with concern as he watched Ciel's retreating back, afraid that he might have offended the young earl. Sebastian stood where he was, a knowing smile indicating that he knew that his young master wanted to be alone.

"Aren't you going to follow your master?"

He looked down to face Kaname who was still seated in his armchair. He grinned, "Young master wishes to be alone for a moment. It'd be rude to deny him of a little privacy." Kaname kept silent, humming in thought, a part of still concerned. Ciel was like the younger brother he never had, or at least he hoped that was what he was feeling. He couldn't imagine the look on his own face; much less Zero's if he was attracted to the twelve-year-old in _that_ way. (Unfortunately, we all know that lil' Kana-chi is in denial xD)

"Is Master Kaname _that_ eager to send me away?" Sebastian teased, leaning in close to the pureblood's face. Unnerved by the sudden closeness, Kaname leant onto the other arm of the chair, trying to maintain his composure. "Yes… yes I am…" he muttered, not bothering to hide his displeasure.

He didn't like the demon one bit.

Sebastian chuckled and bowed, "Then I shall take my leave. Do pardon me." The pureblood nodded, resisting the urge to wave the butler off with his hand. He picked up his teacup and took a sip again.

Meanwhile, Ciel was busying himself by sulking away on the balcony. He did not know why but he felt a twinge of jealousy when he saw Sebastian paying more attention to Kaname than him. It made him feel inferior when he compared himself to the pureblood. Kaname was everything he wasn't. The brunette was blessed with ethereal beauty and had the warmth of a family unlike the earl.

He chewed on his lower lip as the next thought surfaced. _Perhaps Sebastian would prefer Kaname over me._

"Now you know that it isn't true, young master."

Ciel jolted and spun around to see his demon butler towering over him. Sebastian had both his arms on either side of his young master, rendering him no escape routes. "I don't prefer vampires over my contractor." He repeated, wearing a knowing smile that told Ciel that he had his thoughts written all over his face. He turned his head, his cheeks flushing a light pink from being found out.

"It still doesn't account for your obvious flirting with Kaname." Ciel shot back, earning a surprise look from Sebastian. The butler then smirked, "So young master was… might I say, _jealous_?" Ciel turned a deeper shade of pink. The older male started chuckling, making his younger master flustered, "It's not funny!"

Sebastian planted his lips onto Ciel's forehead. "I have eyes for no other except for my contractors. To a demon like me, Master Ciel is more precious than anything."

"Liar." The twelve-year-old mumbled, earning another chuckle from the demon. If only he knew. Every bit of Sebastian's last statement had come sincerely from the demon's _heart_, no matter how playful it had sounded. Ciel buried his head into his butler's front, hiding his tomato face while the older male wrapped his long arms around his young master with a slight squeeze.

"Shall we return to the main house then, young master?"

"…Ahh, I'm tired anyway."

_.…._

It was already nearing midnight when Zero returned with a sleeping Yuki riding on his back. Haruka and Juri had chuckled and offered to relief Zero of their exhausted daughter, allowing him to retire to his quarters. Even they knew how troublesome Yuki was when she wanted to played outdoors. The little princess' energy was simply that of a hyperactive bunny.

Zero shook his head with a small smile. Unfortunately he did not know how wrong he was when he thought he would finally be spared for the day.

Walking into his well furnished room and shutting the door before locking it was the worst thing he could have done. He jumped back in shock to see Kaname lying on his bed, sleeping soundly with his paperwork scattered on the edge. He sighed; _don't tell me he has been waiting for me to return all this time…_

He scratched his head and groaned.

Striding up to his bed, he lightly shook his pureblood master. "Kaname, wake up. Kaname," he repeated himself several times and raised his voice louder as the pureblood twitched but showed no signs of waking. The silver-haired butler sighed again, and pinched the bridge of Kaname's nose.

The pureblood immediately sprung up and rubbed his eyes, "Okay, okay, I'm awake." Kaname pulled a pout, which was entirely ineffective on his butler. Zero frowned, "If you want to sleep, go sleep in your _own_ room." The pureblood, not wanting to be kicked out, launched forward and wrapped his arms around the silver-haired butler's waist, burying his face into the younger boy's clothing.

Zero felt his face heating up as he remembered Ichiru's words before he came back.

"_Tell me all about it once Kuran takes you, okay?"_

_Stupid Ichiru and his remarks!_

Zero cursed in his head, desperately trying to ignore the feeling of Kaname's nose in his navel through the fabric of his clothing. The pureblood seemed to have mumbled a question, but Zero was too busy cursing his brother mentally for the perverted thoughts he had of his young master.

"Zero?"

Kaname pouted when Zero didn't respond and proceeded to pull his butler down onto the bed with him. The silver-haired butler snapped out of his thoughts and jumped in alarm.

"K-Kaname! What do you think you're doing?"

"Sleeping here for the night, you'll let me stay won't you?" The pureblood asked with a smile that told Zero that he'll regret it if he refused. He debated and weighed each option.

…_How I hate it when I don't have choices with benefits._ Zero thought, rolling his eyes mentally.

"If you try anything, I swear I'll punch you."

"Of course." Kaname answered with a chuckle before snuggling under the covers with his beloved butler.

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**(Is sobbing again) I'm really sorry for the slow updates! I'm really trying to update this as fast as I can but I keep running out of ideas! DX**

**Can anyone suggest ideas/scenes?**

**And no lemons please, I'm not experienced enough to write them (sobs in my emo corner again)**

**Please Read and Review!**

**~Kuro**


	5. Vacation or Work

**My Dear Butler, Now and Forever**

**Vampire Knight and Kuroshitsuji Crossover Fan-Fiction**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN VK AND KUROSHITSUJI. (I only own my OCs in this story)**

**Here's another update for this fanfiction of mine :) I'm really sorry for the late updates, I had been really busy with school 'cause I'm a graduating student at the moment so there has been too little time for me to come up with the next chapter of this story (unlike my 'Selfless Mask of Pride' which follows the storyline of Vampire Knight).**

**harrypocky – lol you can rest assured, the nobles will appear soon :P**

**Exposed-x-Chrysalis – :) you don't have to stress yourself, just go at your own pace and send me a pm or review when you do get some ;P**

**setsuko teshiba – O.o you don't have to swear! Just by telling me you love it is good enough! :D**

**fan-fan31 – don't fret ;) I won't be discontinuing this fanfic, I really want to write this to the end so please be patient with me if I happen to drag my updates. I am taking my graduation exams soon so my schedule has been rather tight lately and I apologise for that :(**

**Hanamaru – thank you! :D Kuroshitsuji is really a great manga/ anime! So I really want to recommend it to everyone who reads this fanfic! xD**

**Keala Fae – I'm getting to the other pairings now ;P hang on tight and look forward to it please~**

**Khoust – :D thank you very much!**

**freya kurenai – I really must thank you for the scene suggestions freya! Please don't apologise, I really like the suggestions you gave me :D Please continue to review this story!**

**Ikirah .Useko –**** Thank you :) I see my story seems to have made you have a good laugh or two :3 Hope you will enjoy this chapter too!**

**Icarus Redemption – O.o you seem to have analyzed each of my chapters thoroughly, but I'm glad you found it interesting :) You have many lovely story plots; I don't think they are bad at all. I look forward to seeing your upcoming fanfictions :)**

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Chapter Three

"_One after another. How many will die before it all ends?" – Zero_

Haruka and Juri watched in amusement, clearly curious as to what happened between their only son and his faithful butler… well, _almost_ faithful. Zero stood a fair distance away from his young master, but close enough for him to send glares in the pureblood's direction every now and then. Kaname, although had his eyes closed, was far from being calm as he took a bite out of a scone, hardly sparing his butler a glance as he continued his meal.

The couple looked as each other and sighed softly, feeling odd at having to watch the sparks fly between the two younger vampires; it had made them lost their appetite and resulted in them only taking a few sips of their daily blood intake.

Yuki, who was apparently oblivious to the rather heated silent argument between her brother and his manservant, pouted as she poked her favourite ham omelette with a fork. "Yuki, what's wrong? You hardly touched your food since you've woken up. Are you sick?" Juri asked worriedly, leaning over to her daughter to place a hand to her forehead. The Kuran Princess shook her head, and smiled brightly as if to say she is alright and excused herself before leaving the dining hall.

Still fretting, Juri also excused herself and left, but not before giving a swift peck to Haruka's cheek. The older vampire smiled and turned his attention to the younger vampires before him after Juri disappeared out the entrance of the hall. "I'd suggest the two of you take your lovers' tiff matters behind closed doors and not in an open area where even the walls have eyes." He said; giving a soft chuckle as Kaname and Zero looked at him, one with an un-amused look and the other alarmed.

"I am not _that_ senile to not notice this relationship _yet_." Haruka added. It had not been hard for him to figure everything out, having occasionally catch a glance of Kaname whispering something to Zero, in which resulted in the silver-haired butler trying to punch his son in the gut, his face turning into plenty shades of red. It was easy to tell that Zero shared the same feelings towards Kaname, as the pureblood to him, but it seemed that their difference in statuses was holding him back from accepting the young master.

Juri shared the same thoughts, only that, she concluded their relationship faster than he did. She only smiled and giggled softly like a child when Haruka spoke to her about it. _"Kaname and Zero are no longer children anymore. Don't you think they go well together?"_ The older pureblood chuckled, that understanding and accepting nature was what he loved about Juri. However, Haruka knew that no matter how much he loves her, he still loves another to this day.

"Before Juri and I had gotten married, I had loved another man. Just like the two of you now." He admitted, earning a surprised look from the silver-haired butler and a raised eyebrow from his son. The older pureblood laughed, "Don't look so surprised. It's a rather natural thing for some vampires to find love in the same sex and it has been like that for as long as I've lived." Kaname seemed to roll his eyes, hinting that he had already known but was rather curious as to why his father had never mentioned anything about being in a relationship with another man.

Zero, on the other hand, felt like punching himself. Having come from a lineage of vampire hunters, he had came across this _interesting_ fact about vampires when he was younger, he should have remembered and kept his emotionless expression on. He grunted as he sneaked a glance at Kaname and came to a conclusion. _It must be in the __genes__._

He was snapped out of his thoughts, hearing Haruka speak again. "Going onto another topic… I have received several letters of invitations to social gatherings in London. Unfortunately, I am caught up with work and have no time to spare to attend them, and I can not possibly ask Juri to attend them on her own. So I'd like the two of you to go in our stead, you do not mind, do you?" Kaname glanced over at his butler, who was sporting a look that told him 'I don't care which choice you make just choose already'. He turned back with a smile, "No, we do not mind. When do we leave?"

Haruka seemed pleased and brought out the stack of envelopes, handing it over to the two. "Our townhouse is still under renovations for another month or more, and Ciel has kindly offered to take you along and let the both of you stay with him during your visit to London. He's apparently on another case from the Queen I heard." The two nodded their heads and excused themselves, leaving Haruka to be the only one left in the dining hall as he heaved a sigh of relief.

_.…._

"You can't stay mad at me _forever_, Zero."

"Yes I _can_ and I _still_ am."

Kaname sat on the side of his bed, watching Zero pack his clothes into a luggage. The young master still could not comprehend what the big deal was about. It was just a kiss, a morning greeting to be exact. He sighed loudly, causing Zero's anger to be further fueled. Oh sure, it was just a kiss. _My bloody first kiss!_ The silver-haired butler thought, fuming before he flushed red, remembering the sensation of feeling Kaname's soft lips planted on his own. Zero brought his fingers up to touch his lips unconsciously, in which his young master did not let go unnoticed.

"You actually liked _it_ didn't you?"

Kaname asked slyly, wrapping his arms around Zero's waist as he breathed lightly into the latter's ears. The younger vampire's breath hitched, feeling his face burning; damn Kaname! The pureblood knew very well that Zero's ears were sensitive! He struggled, half scowling and half threatening his young master, "Kaname, I swear, if you don't let me go this instant, I'll quit this job!" The pureblood tensed, causing Zero to stop short and glanced back sideways. "K-Kaname?" He asked wearily, he knew that his young master disliked him using that threat.

Slipping a hand to caress the skin underneath the thin cloth of the silver-haired butler's button-up shirt, Kaname buried his head onto the left side of Zero's neck. Zero frozed, is Kaname going to drink from him again? He felt the pureblood opening his mouth, and stifled a moan as the older vampire began with mouthing directly on the tattoo before licking and sucking at that same spot. Zero cursed at the back of his mind, his damned young master was leaving a _mark_ on him. He had half the mind to start giving the pureblood a tongue-lashing as soon as he had stopped but was met with a chaste kiss to his lips again, leaving him stunned.

"You've belonged to me since the day I turned you, Zero. I won't let you leave my side ever." Kaname said with a hint of cruelty in his eyes. Zero was his from the day he had took him in and he was not about to let anyone else have him; the pureblood was determined to make Zero realized that.

A loud sound was heard from behind the Young Master's door, causing the servants who were passing by to jump at least three feet into the air from sheer surprise.

_.…._

Kaname sat in the carriage with Ciel while Zero rode outside with Sebastian, handling the horse reigns. Ciel raised an eyebrow, curious as to the red marks of a hand print plastered on the left cheek of the pureblood. The earl sighed mentally and shook his head, thinking to himself that it would be better if he had not asked about it.

Sebastian, on the other hand, was in fact the opposite and prompted the question to the silver-haired butler sitting to his right. "I assume that Master Kaname's brilliant _make-up_ was done by Kiryuu-san before Bo-chama and I arrived?" The demon had trouble trying to come up with a proper word to describe the hand print and tried hard not to be too blunt with his words. Zero's grip on the reigns tightened, seemingly trying his best to suppress a growl. "He's an idiot of a Young Master," was his reply.

Sebastian chuckled, letting his eyes run over the vampire's appearance in admiration. The pale complexion, light hair and amethyst-like eyes made him resemble more of an angel than a vampire. The Kiryuu Clan is famous for their angelic features that run in their very blood, but only a handful ever inherited the recessive features. Zero Kiryuu and his twin brother, Ichiru Kiryuu were part of that few. The demon frowned at the memory of another Kiryuu with similar features, he vaguely wondered if that person was still alive after the incident that occurred five years ago.

It was in the headlines back then: _'The Massacre of the Kiryuu Clan'_.

That mass murder case was a tragedy for the whole of Europe. Ciel was only seven then, but the memory of the news that caused an uproar amongst the public remained vivid in his mind as Sebastian had heard from the earl himself. Many officials were ordered to investigate the case, but the mastermind was never found… Sebastian chuckled. Amongst his previous few contractors, there was one of those officials on the case, and driven into a corner he was when he could not find anything that could pinpoint the murderer. The demon smiled as he recalled how the pitiful man begged for mercy as his life was slowly drained away after they closed the case.

"What's so funny?"

Sebastian was knocked out of his thoughts as Zero felt his skin crawl, feeling slightly irked that the demon beside him was smiling creepily to himself. The silver-haired butler felt like jumping off the coach when the smile was directed at him. He looked away, "I'm surrounded by idiots and weirdoes…" he muttered, pulling on the reigns to stop the horses in front of Ciel's townhouse.

He leapt off the coach seat, moving to unload the luggage. Sebastian, in turn, opened the door and let Ciel out before Kaname. "It's been a while since we came to London haven't we, Bo-chama?" The young earl sighed heavily, making his way up the steps. "If it hadn't been for _that letter_… who would want to come here? It's so crowded that it's suffocating…" He grumbled softly, unwilling to look back at his butler. He could practically feel that his butler was blatantly smiling away, an obvious hint that the question was asked deliberately to irritate him.

Sebastian turned to Kaname with another smile, "This way please, Master Kaname. I hope you'll enjoy your stay with us." Kaname rolled his eyes mentally. The demon was insufferable to no end. _It'd be a miracle if I enjoy staying with __you__._ But the pureblood did not show his annoyance, he did not want to lose to the demon so easily. Instead, he flashed a charming smile at the Phantomhive's butler. "Thank you, I'm certain that I will." Anyone's knees would go weak at that brilliant smile and kind tone that Kaname had used. Anyone with a few exceptions, Sebastian is definitely one of them. The demon picked out the hidden sarcasm in the Kuran heir's reply, but he kept his smile on.

Zero picked up the luggage and proceeded to get inside when he noticed that his young master and fellow butler were still outside. He briefly shook his head and ignored the two; thunder was crackling in the background between them and he would rather die than get in the crossfire.

"Master Phantomhive, where do I put all these baggage?" The silver-haired butler asked, tilted his head to one side as he set the largest of the luggage onto his shoulder, the remaining smaller and lighter ones in his other hand. Ciel turned back and blinked, "Oh, you can leave mine behind. Sebastian will take care of them. I'll show you to the guest rooms." Zero raised his eyebrow, "Wait, guest rooms?" He enquired as he set Ciel's baggage down. It was Ciel's turn to raise an eyebrow, "Of course, you're a guest as well. I won't treat you any less than one." The young earl answered and gestured for the older man to follow him. "And also, it's Ciel."

Zero sighed, Ciel is the type of person who won't take no for an answer once he makes up his mind. "Understood, Master Ciel."

"You seem kind of relieved, Master Ciel." Zero commented while they were making their way up the stairs to the second floor. Ciel didn't bother to glance back, "Ahh, I was just thinking that on the bright side, its much more peaceful and quiet here compared to the mansion…" He thought of his other four servants, mainly the three who are always responsible for the large amount of damages dealt to his expenses daily. He grimaced slightly, and paused as he heard the sound of people talking in the first room next to the stairs. The earl quickly sprinted up to the double doors and threw it open before visibly freezing in his footsteps.

"…This is _anything_ but peaceful and quiet…" Zero mumbled, making a face as he watched the state of the lounge deteriorate further as more things were flung onto the floor, accumulating in large piles around the room. "Geez, where did they put the tea leaves in this house?" The lady dressed in red asked, throwing another book behind her, hitting a man in a tailcoat square on the head, he was most probably her butler. Another man was crouching on the floor, sticking his face into a vase, Zero could tell he was a Chinese from the clothes he was wearing. "I can't find them either…"

Ciel seemed to snap out of his shock, exclaiming in alarm, "Madam Red! Lau! Why are you here—" He stopped short, grimacing at the sight of one of his favourite tea sets, Wedgwood Jasper Blue, lying in broken shards on the carpet. He placed a hand to his forehead, he had yet to spend even ten minutes here and he was already getting a headache. Madam Red showed no signs of noticing her nephew's obvious exasperation and amusingly formed her lovely red lips into an 'o' shape. "Oh, you guys are pretty quick."

Zero dropped the baggage he was carrying and quickly took over so as to help ease Ciel's headache a little. "Pardon me, but kindly pick up after yourself and wait here patiently. I shall go prepare the tea immediately." The vampire patted Ciel on the shoulder lightly, reassuring him as he left for the kitchen, but not before yelling for the two idiots who were still having their staring contest outside to get themselves inside before he makes them.

_.…._

Tea was served as soon as the lounge was tidied. Madam Red sat on an armchair, sipping from her teacup, "How could I not visit my cute nephew in London when I'm here too?" Ciel's frown was pulled longer as he poked the sweets that Sebastian had prepared (after he had taken the liberty to take the forgotten luggage to the respective rooms). His aunt set her cup down and leant back against her chair, her lips curled into a playful smile. "Speaking of which, I'm so delighted to finally be able meet the heir to the Kuran Family and his butler too. Ahh, the two of you are as handsome as they say~" Madam Red sighed dreamily as she began to sway side to side, swooning like a fan girl.

Kaname gave a smile as he replied, "I thank you for the compliment, Madam Red. Pardon my bluntness, but I find it hard to believe that a young lady like you is in her mid-years already." Madam Red let out a ticklish giggle, waving her hand at Kaname, "Yadaaa, don't flatter me like that!" Zero looked away, snorting inaudibly; he was on the verge of gagging at the pureblood's display of flirting, and with Ciel's Aunt no less. Not that he dislike her or anything along those lines. The silver-haired butler had to admit, Madam Red looked really young and beautiful despite her age. He would have thought that she was a vampire if he had not known any better.

Ciel cleared his throat loudly, "Can we get down to some serious talk now?" He asked impatiently. Lau grinned, "Is this about the prostitutes being murdered on the streets recently?" The atmosphere seem to undergo a 180 degree change as Kaname casually leant back with his teacup, his solemn tone contradicting his relaxed posture and expression. "You mean the case that has been appearing in the news nonstop lately? I heard from my father that this situation is an ominous way to start this season of social events." Madam Red nodded her head, "Certainly, since every aristocrat family was looking forward to it. However, I'm more interested to hear what my dear nephew is planning." She smiled, finally admitting her reason for being present.

Zero made eye contact with Kaname as they half-heartedly listened to the discussion between Ciel, Madam Red and Lau. His young master smiled, fully aware of what the silver-haired butler was asking. This case of 'Jack the Ripper' was what had Takuma Ichijo, Kaname's eccentric second childhood friend after Shizuka, squealing in excitement for _weeks_. The whimsical blond vampire (in which Zero highly doubt was one) had a thing for horror, gore and mystery, a fetish that was influenced from reading one too many mangas to count humanely impossible in a lifetime. Adding on, majority of the mangas of those genres were borrowed from the creepy man whom they know as the Undertaker; the amount of mangas that Undertaker had was insanely too large to even start counting from one. Whatever it was, Ichijo's likes for some things were those that Kaname and Zero knew they will never be able to comprehend in many years to come.

The two vampires thought of their first trip to the Undertaker's residence (they were accompanying Ichijo) and shuddered. They certainly hope they wouldn't have to meet Undertaker again anytime soon. Unfortunately, they had spoken too soon.

* * *

**Sorry for the long wait! I had been super busy with my extra lessons to prepare for my graduation exams so I often had to put this story off. Why this story? That is because this story needs my full focus to keep everything in check and making sure that it doesn't detour around too much :P I guess I should also mention that I constantly need to pay extra concentration while reading my Chinese version of the Kuroshitsuji mangas I have. Hey, I've gotta be really careful if I wanna translate them right, don't I? ;)**

**Anyway, I hope everyone likes this chapter. And also, thank you for being so patient with me all this time. I promise to work harder to get the rest of the chapters out faster!**

**~Kuro**


	6. A Mutual Dislike and Something More

**My Dear Butler, Now and Forever**

**Vampire Knight and Kuroshitsuji Crossover Fan-Fiction**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN VK AND KUROSHITSUJI. (I only own my OCs in this story)**

**Sorry for the SUPER LONG wait! Here is another chapter of MDBNF ^^ I hope everyone enjoys the latest update! Anyhow, I also hope my other reviewers of the other copy of MDBNF had received my message. Sorry for the inconvenience and also for not replying to the reviews in the other copy too (sweatdrops)**

**A little note: I do not have any experience in the ways of how to eat wagashi and some other japanese etiquette so please do pardon any mistakes that I make in here, although I tried to make it as vague as possible. If any of you are aware of how it is done, please send me a pm about it so I can at least edit it :)**

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Chapter Four

"_The Hunt is always more interesting than the Feeding."—Sebastian_

The Hiou Household was quiet, so quiet that even Ichiru could hear the soft beating of his heart. Everyone had gone back to their homes for the day, except for those who were orphans or did not have a home to return to. Ichiru was unaccustomed to the silence. Despite experiencing the very same atmosphere every Sunday, today was different. He had no one to spend the day with (other than Shizuka, of course, but she is usually cooped up in her room reading). Blank lilac eyes stared at the kettle by the stove, Ichiru had not even realized that someone else had stepped into the kitchen. A cold hand brushed his shoulder lightly, making him jump. Shizuka stood with a frown behind her butler as he spinned around to face her.

"L-Lady Shizuka! What are you doing down here!"

"I had been wondering why you took so long today so I decided to come take a look for myself."

Coming back to his full senses, Ichiru realized that it had been well over an hour behind schedule for Shizuka's late morning tea. Frantic, he quickly apologized, rushing over to the stove readying to grab the kettle once the water boils. The sounds of the wooden chairs being dragged along the stone floor made the silver-haired butler looked back and protest at his Lady's sitting in the kitchen. "Lady Shizuka! Please return to your room, I will bring your tea to you as soon as I can!" Shizuka's ruby eyes looked at Ichiru knowingly and the latter fell silent. Finally, a faint smile graced her face as she laughed softly, the long sleeve of her white kimono brought up to cover her mouth.

"I never thought I'd see the day Ichiru would have a troubled frown on his face."

The said person blush bright red, flustering slightly as he nearly dropped the teapot in his hand. _Is it that obvious?_ Ichiru wondered, clearly embarrassed that his emotions were written on his face and that he had been read like a book by his Mistress. Shizuka removed her hand from her face and leant forward, both her porcelain white hands propping her head up as her head of silvery-white hair spilled around her, making her look like a mere child with her eyes closed. "Raymond…" Ichiru jumped slightly, "…That boy recently had a rather heartbroken look on his adorable face when no one is looking…" Cracking open an eye, Shizuka caught a glance at Ichiru sporting a knowing look, his cheeks tinted pink. She smiled quietly to herself, "I changed my mind. I'll have my tea later in the evening. Since I'm not fond of sweets, why don't you and Raymond help yourselves to the wagashi that the Yuki brought the other day? It'd be a waste to throw them away."

The silver-haired butler turned his head mutely, watching his Mistress seemingly glide out of the kitchen with a faint smile. Glancing back at the tea set prepared a moment ago, Ichiru scratched his head. "Might as well then…" He muttered to himself, feeling the blood rush to his face as he looked away.

"…_That boy recently had a heartbroken look on his adorable face…"_

_Could it be…?_ Ichiru wondered, fidgeting with his fingers.

_.…._

The large veranda was bathed in warm and inviting yellow-orange rays. Raymond sat in the center of the area, where a white circular table and two chairs were placed. His head laid soundly on the table, buried in his arms as a soft breeze blew, ruffling his soft jet-black hair. One could hear his slow and even breathing, you could tell that the youth had been asleep for a while. A delightful fragrance overtook his senses, making him relax his stiff muscles. His eyelids gently fluttered open, his bright turquoise eyes focusing on the cup of tea that had been placed before him. Raymond's eyes widened as he sat up quickly only to meet lilac eyes. "Sorry, did I wake you?" Ichiru asked as he smiled softly. Raymond looked away, not wanting the older butler to see the pink that was coloring his cheeks at the moment. "…No, you didn't." Ichiru made to sit on the opposite side, opening the box of the wagashi that he had taken from the cabinet in the kitchen.

Raymond glanced sideways and was awed by the miniature sweets that were placed in a circle in the box. "You like it?" The boy blushed, not realizing that Ichiru had caught him staring at the sweets. He then nodded slightly, knowing that the latter was waiting for an answer. Ichiru grinned again, "Lady Shizuka said we could have them, so help yourself." Raymond turned his head fully this time with a nod, looking at the sweets before picking one and taking a bite. Ichiru settled back into his seat, content with watching the boy enjoying the sweets, in which led to him being questioned, "Aren't you going to see your brother?" Ichiru raised an eyebrow while Raymond set down his teacup after taking a few sips from it. "It's a Sunday and everyone has already gone back to their homes. What reason do you have for staying?" There was a slight pause. Maybe Ichiru was imagining it, but it seemed that there was a hint of anger or perhaps frustration in Raymond's voice as he spoke.

"The Kuran Family had their only son, Kaname Kuran, to go to London to attend Social Events for the summer. If he's going, Zero is sure to tag along." Ichiru answered, earning a puzzled look from the younger boy—Raymond had no idea why Ichiru seemed so happy to know that his brother had went to London with his Young Master, Kaname Kuran. Pushing the questioning thoughts to the back of his mind and noticing that his teacup was nearly empty, Raymond reached his hand out absent-mindedly to take the teapot when another touched his own. The two butlers were taken by surprise—they had apparently reached for the teapot together, only to end up taking hold of each other's hand at the same time on the handle of the teapot. Raymond jumped, his cheeks flushed red as he quickly pulled his hand back, looking away while feeling flustered. His heart thumped against his chest like a sledge hammer, his cheeks were burning and he screwed his eyes shut, desperate to cool himself down. It wasn't like him to be in such a bundle of nerves. Raymond had never felt like this around anyone before Ichiru—he had known better than anyone that he had begun to like the older butler not long after they had became friends.

After much trying to will himself to calm down, he got his heart to listen but seemed unable to get his face to listen to him. He felt so embarrassed with his cheeks burning probably a bright red like a tomato right now—Raymond had a distinct feeling that he probably looked like a typical girl who was experiencing her first crush and he really was not feeling proud of it. The younger boy froze as a pair of arms wrapped around his waist and a weight was placed atop his own head. He forced down his blush in a fit of exasperation and sighed, "Ichiru, quit fooling around. Let go already." Raymond struggled to no avail—the older butler's grip on him rendered him immobile. Before Raymond could snap at him, Ichiru leant down to whisper softly into his ear, "Raymond… Do you like me?" The former blushed once again, struggling to get away as hard as he could. "W-Wha! Why are you asking me such a question! L-let go of me! Ichiru!" Raymond ceased his thrashing when he could practically feel Ichiru smiling behind him and a chuckle erupted from the latter.

"You're very bad at lying, Raymond."

"I… I don't like you."

"Liar… If you didn't _like_ me, you wouldn't be so angry at the fact that I kissed Zero and looking so down like how Lady Shizuka had described to me…"

"T-That is…"

"…_I love you_, Raymond. Do you?"

To say that Raymond was at a loss for words was an understatement—he was beyond speechless. Ichiru, on the other hand, was quite proud of himself—he was busy celebrating at the back of his mind that he had finally gotten a load off his chest. However, the confession went unanswered and Ichiru peered down at the younger boy's face. He mused slightly at the sight of the redness that the latter was sporting—although he could not see his face, Raymond's neck was turning a shade of red as well. Ichiru smiled, bringing up his hand to tilt the latter's tomato face to look up at him. Seeing as Raymond's eyes were squeezed tightly shut together, the silver-haired butler cooed softly, "Raymond, look at me." His mind screamed at him not to listen, but Raymond's body betrayed him as he meekly complied, opening his eyes slightly.

Raymond's eyes widened as Ichiru claimed his lips and melted immediately. The younger boy flushed a bright red, shyly wrapping his arms around the older butler and returning the tender kiss.

Shizuka watched the scene on the veranda from her window and lifted her delicate hand to cover her mouth as she chuckled. "It's about time…" She glanced towards the small clock that ticked in a melodic rhythm on her dressing table, "I'd better get ready for _her_ visit tonight then…" she murmured quietly—now that the gloomy atmosphere that settled over her mansion a few days ago had been lifted, Shizuka could finally set about to look forward to that night's guest that was coming.

_.…._

Lau was an idiot. An idiot yet an eccentric man no less. Zero concluded that barely an hour after hearing the conversation about the case of 'Jack the Ripper'. Of course, the silver-haired butler gave credit to the Chinese man that he was so enthusiastic to solve the case (if he could call being excited enough to try and drag Ciel off to God knows where that) but when you don't even know where to go, its only logical that one should not be so hasty to rush off on a wild goose chase. It was really dumb as well as provoking when Lau brushed his senseless mistakes off so nonchalantly and arrogantly—Zero was hardly able to keep himself from snorting.

"By now, chances are there'd be a crowd gathering around the crime scene out of curiosity—so it'd be impossible to conduct a proper investigation even if we went, don't you think? And it'd be too troublesome for me to ask the authorities." Ciel explained in a grumbling tone, not too pleased that he had a lack of options. He gave an exasperated look as Madam Red was questioning what their next course of action would be. "If I could, I would rather avoid having to resort to asking _that man_ for help—but I haven't got a choice. There is no one else whom I can think of who works on this case." The two vampires paused slightly, sharing the same thoughts and silently hoped that their guess-who was wrong. Ciel then turned to them, "I'd like to ask the two of you come along as well, if it wouldn't be too much of a hassle." Kaname smiled, giving a silent 'yes'—he had apparently caught on to Ciel's hidden message beneath the request; the earl would need all the help he can get as he did not think it'd be wise to rely on Lau and Madam Red to help him on this case (Madam Red and Lau were more of tagging along for the fun of it).

Hence, they now stood before the Undertaker's shop.

Ciel had already made his way into the store, but Kaname was making things difficult for Zero by refusing to take even a step into Undertaker's shop. "Zero, I swore to myself once that I would not set one foot into that creepy place ever again and I intend to keep it that way." The pureblood assumed that five feet was a safe distance from the store and backed up, unwilling to move from his current spot—it was a rather amusing sight to see. No one would have thought that _the_ Kaname Kuran, pureblood vampire sex god with looks to die for, was actually afraid of the Undertaker and his shop. The silver-haired butler rolled his eyes, his thumb and index finger massaging the bridge of his nose in annoyance at Kaname's stubbornness. _Really…how old is he?_ Zero asked himself, but stopped short as he saw a familiar face approaching them from inside the store. "Master Takuma?" His lilac eyes squinting at the sunshine and flowers that the blond vampire was literally bursting with as he smiled brightly. "The one and only, it has been a while hasn't it, Zero-kun? And I see you and Kaname are getting along just fine~"

Zero could not think of anything to retort back at Ichijo and made a face that screamed 'you call this getting along!' at the noble. Receiving no reply and the never changing silly grin on Ichijo's face, Zero recomposed himself. "Putting that aside, what brings you here, Master Takuma?" Ichijo blinked, his grin replaced with a blank look before reappearing on his face again as he held up a stack of mangas. Kaname had an unreadable look on his face while Zero merely stared—both were at a loss for words but they should have known better. If there was one thing Ichijo can never stand, it's going on a trip without at least a few of his mangas to keep himself occupied.

The three vampires turned their heads at the sound of footsteps. Ciel, Madam Red, Lau and Grell were ushered out by Sebastian, who merely said, "You absolutely must not peek inside," and shut the door without another word. The group felt like a couple of deers in headlights while standing outside the shop as silence fell over them. A few moments passed, none of them could be sure how much time had passed as they continued to stare, waiting for some sort of response that would signal it'd be okay to go back inside.

…

A sudden hysterical laughter erupted from the shop, which Ichijo recognized as the Undertaker's. Madam Red, Lau and Grell visibly flinched in fright, while Ciel, Kaname and Zero had the color drained from their faces—apparently, Ichijo was the only once who continued to smile as if he had not heard anything out of the blue. The door swung open as Sebastian gave a charming smile to the group outside, "Please come back in. Let's continue our discussion." From the doorway, everyone could see that Undertaker's form was shaking uncontrollably from his laughing fit, and they could still hear his muffled giggles as he was lying atop one of his many coffins. Even as everyone had went back in, Zero turned back to his Young Master, who was still exactly five feet away from the store—neither had moved for a while. "Ano… Kuran-san, Kiryuu-san? Aren't you guys coming in?" Lau asked, tilting his head slightly as he was still at the doorway. Kaname cringed inwardly, still unwilling to step into the shop. He was pleasantly surprised when Zero sighed, striding up to him and reluctantly taking a firm hold of his Young Master's hand and proceeded to pull him inside—all the while unaware that the pureblood was sporting a soft smile on his face.

However, Kaname's smile disappeared as soon as he stepped into the shop. With the walls peeling off, the ghastly body parts contained in glass jars and bottles placed on the shelves and on the many coffins that laid about the wide area, the Undertaker's shop was as eerie as always. To contribute to the spookiness of the place, the lights were barely lit to give the shop a dim and foreboding atmosphere. It was obvious none had bothered to ask Undertaker if he had ever thought about brightening up the place with some new light bulbs.

Zero tugged Kaname along and forced him to sit on one of the coffins—the pureblood visibly paled and went oddly silent as soon as he sat, fingering the rim of the beaker that was filled with tea. Without another word being exchanged, the Undertaker began talking. "They would always appear out of the blue at the most unholy hours of the day… customers that are… _lacking_." At this, the creepy man chuckled, not going any further until Sebastian had prompted him, "…Lacking?" Undertaker nodded, turning to face his back towards them, "Yes, _lacking_. A lack of… _innards_." Everyone flinched, saved for Sebastian, Zero and Kaname, who merely jerked slightly from their positions. Undertaker began to clean one of his anatomical models. "Before putting the customers into their coffins, one has to clean them up no? Especially if they go unnaturally with their internals spilling out, I'd have to stuff everything back in. Anyhow, during that period of time, it is one of my hobbies to research their organs." Madam Red, Lau and Grell froze and set the beakers down most abruptly.

Kaname nearly dropped his beaker but kept his composure and set it softly on top of the coffin—he was thankful that he had not taken a sip from it. God knows what Undertaker had put in his beaker before pouring tea inside, his stomach churned at the thought. He glanced over at Ichijo but sweatdropped as the blond continued to drink from the beaker happily—Ichijo is really something…

All was silent for a moment, until Lau spoke. "So you're saying that all the victims are missing a particular organ? Perhaps it could be criminals dealing in trading of human organs in the black market…" The Chinese man became annoyed as Undertaker patronized him, "My~ the thinking of people from China is so fearsome~" Lau shuddered as the Undertaker cuddled up against his anatomical model, "But it's not like that. None of those prostitutes can be considered as a _whole_ woman anymore." He began humming a soft tune and set his doll back onto the shelf, "What these women are lacking… are their _wombs_~! Recently, the numbers of such customers are increasing at a rapid rate, not to mention that the appearance that they have the moment they arrive here was simply so messy that it kept me really busy."

As soon as Undertaker sat down, Sebastian brought in his viewpoint. "Even if there are not many people on the streets at night, cutting out specific organs accurately could not have been done by a regular person now, could it?" His enquiry was confirmed with a nod, "You are sharp, Mr. Butler. I have thought of this as well." Standing up from his seat, Undertaker made his way over to Ciel. "Indeed… One has to slit the victim's throat… and then proceed to cut out the womb from the abdomen. But judging from the criminal's work… such accuracy could not have been done just by anyone. It'd have to be someone experienced. You should've been able to figure that out too, Earl." Undertaker poked Ciel's cheek with a sly grin, earning an annoyed yet exasperated look from the latter.

"It's very likely that the murderer could be from the _Underside_… your very being here makes it a possibility. There is no doubt that there will be another victim soon. In such a situation, until there is someone to stop him, he won't ever stop." Undertaker retreated a few steps as Ciel made to stand with Sebastian by his side to put on his coat. "Can you stop him? Notorious Noble of Darkness—Earl Phantomhive." Kaname stood up after Ciel, his wine-red eyes on the Undertaker, "Even in the Underside, there are rules to abide by as well. They cannot murder anyone from the ordinary society at random, so it's more likely that there is an influence manipulating him from behind." The pureblood glanced at his butler and nodded his head to say that they needed to go—partially because they had something else to do for Ciel, partially because Kaname could no longer stand being the creepy shop any longer. The two vampires slipped out the door, as Ciel made to follow suit.

"Those who taint Her Majesty's territory, I will—in the name of my family—get rid of them with no exceptions. No matter what the methods I have to resort to using."

Putting on his hat, Ciel gave a mild wave as he walked out the entrance, "Sorry for intruding, Undertaker."

_.…._

If there was one thing that Zero learnt today, is that the feeling of being sandwiched is definitely not a very comfortable feeling. Menacing auras were practically radiating off the two entities that obviously have a mutual dislike for each other as they refuse to make an effort to break the thick, deafening silence of major tension.

He miserably wondered if Ciel was secretly amusing himself with imagining the situation that was happening at this very moment—even a blind man could tell that putting Kaname and Sebastian together is a serious no-no. The silver-haired butler mentally rolled his eyes, ignoring the strange looks that were being given by the crowds on the streets. He twitched as he heard murmurs and whispers being exchanged behind their backs—Zero halted in his footsteps. As Kaname and Sebastian turn their heads in silent enquiry, Zero frowned and shook his head.

"At the rate we're going, we'll never being able to get anything done—we're attracting too much attention as a group."

Sebastian placed a hand to his chin with a thoughtful look, "True, we are too conspicuous like this. Perhaps we should split up?"

"We should, it'll enable us to interrogate more suspects and check their alibis easily." Kaname agreed, temporarily forgetting his dislike for the demon. The pureblood turned his wine-red eyes to Zero, expecting his butler to follow him but he was sadly mistaken as the latter shook his head again.

Kaname tried the puppy look on Zero as he frowned, giving a sweatdrop. "No, I'll go a separate way. Sebastian, I leave Master Kaname in your care." He turned and strode off in another direction, disappearing into the crowds.

Sebastian smiled, "Please do not look at me with such displeasure, Master Kaname. I myself do not appreciate having to work together with you but let's set our hostility aside and focus on our current objective, shall we?" Kaname's elegant features were still contorted into the dark look that he was directing at Sebastian, who merely chuckled in mild amusement at it. As soon as the look dissipated, the two continued on their way.

_.…._

An hour had passed in a blink of an eye as Sebastian and Kaname made their way into Ciel's townhouse. With two scrolls in hand, compiling all the records of their side of suspects, all that was left was the records of the suspects on Zero's end. Kaname unconsciously fidgeted with his hair, a sense of relief washing over him. He side-glanced to his right and nearly snapped—Sebastian had been watching him like a hawk to its prey and with a mischievous smirk that played on his lips. He turned fully to face the demon, a glare set on his face. "Do excuse my bluntness, but I assume no one had _ever_ told you how impolite it is to stare? My patience has its limits and I'd like to add that I had been bearing it since we separated from Zero."

Sebastian chuckled, letting his amusement show. "I do not understand why you have such an intense dislike towards me, Master Kaname—is it because I am a demon? Although I do not deny the mutual dislike between the both of us, I am also quite _intrigued_." Taking a few steps closer to Kaname, Sebastian leant in close to his face with a smile. He made a daring move, raising his hand to stroke the side of the pureblood's face in a seductive manner—Kaname's breath hitched as the demon's hand briefly brushed passed his ear. "An elegant beauty with such vibrant spirit and power… Oh yes, you're very worthy of _enticing_ a demon's appetite, Master Kaname." With another smile, Sebastian gave Kaname back his personal space as he excused himself to prepare tea for when Ciel returns.

The pureblood stood in the middle of the hallway, a hand running through his dark chocolate brown hair as he sighed deeply—he was suddenly feeling more exhausted than usual.

He really could not afford to let his guard down around that demon.

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**Sorry, not much "action" (BL-wise and fighting-wise) in this chapter (sweatdrops)… I am trying my best to make everything as interesting as possible but sad to say, I just can't speed up the relationship between Sebastian, Kaname and Zero so quickly… I mean, it'd just throw the plot and characters off the charts if things progressed too fast in my opinion… (bows) I'm really sorry! Please forgive this useless authoress! (emos)**

**Okay, enough of me beating myself up, I would just like to add a note, Raymond is an important OC in this story as are the other OCs that I have yet to introduce so they are not minor characters that I added in for the fun of it, all right?**

**Before I end off, I'd like all my readers to review on what they would like to see in the next chapter so I can spice things up a bit! Here are the choices:**

**(Please specify one of the two characters given in some of the choices)**

**1. Sebastian seducing Kaname/ Zero**

**2. Sebastian/ Kaname dancing with Ciel**

**3. Ciel/ Zero having to approach the Viscount of Druitt**

**4. Kaname/ Zero going to Ciel's/ Zero's rescue when he's kidnapped**

**5. Sebastian/ Kaname/ Zero confronting Grell**

**6. Leave everything up to the authoress, a.k.a. me, as per usual**

**Choose at most TWO choices please, I don't wish to see people putting all six options in their reviews. SO PLEASE REVIEW! IT'S ONLY A CLICK AWAY!**

**I hope everyone had enjoyed this chapter despite all the boring stuff! Until next time!**

**~Kuro**


	7. Exasperation and Exhaustion

**My Dear Butler, Now and Forever**

**Vampire Knight and Kuroshitsuji Crossover Fan-Fiction**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN VK AND KUROSHITSUJI. (I only own my OCs in this story)**

**I'm really sorry for the emotional announcement I uploaded in MDBNF on November 17****th****. I'm not going to make a pretentious excuse for my attitude before, so I'm apologizing for my behavior instead.**

**Anyhow, I'm feeling better now and had taken down that damned announcement—in other words, MDBNF is back on track along with the rest of the fanfictions I'm working on. I'm really sorry for the big hoo-ha I caused.**

* * *

Chapter Five

"_Trouble just seems to like me so much that it's endless."—Ciel_

A light-brunet in his late-twenties weaved his way through the people on the streets of London, his eyes scanning the crowds for a familiar face. His light brown eyes lit up almost instantaneously as he caught sight of a head of long pale blue hair that curled naturally at the ends. He quickened his pace, tripping once or twice and apologizing for accidentally shoving or bumping into others along the way until he managed to get within earshot of the young noble lady.

"Luimere!"

His call was answered with a side glance from a pair of sapphire blue eyes, "Mm? Oh, Kaien…" The light-brunet nearly stumbled as his lady quickly dismissed his presence—she was apparently distracted by an article in the newspaper that was in her hands. He peered over her shoulder in mild curiosity. His mouth formed an 'O' when he read the headlines of Jack the Ripper serial murders—"Sure seems like a lot has happened while we were away, nee Luimere?" Kaien mused as his lady nodded her head in agreement.

"Mm-hmm… by the way, where's our luggage?"

"Oh, I already had them moved to the carriage."

Luimere nodded mildly in acknowledgement as she turned around to head back the way she came.

Folding the newspaper in half, she slipped out the letter that she had been holding onto since they had gotten off the ship. Kaien enquired as he fell into pace with his lady, "Is that the invitation that Lady Elizabeth sent you? The one that's hosted by the Viscount Druitt, Lord Aleister Chamber…!"

Kaien visibly flinched at the dark look that Luimere was sporting—he could imagine the letter bursting into flames if she had glared at it any harder. As far as he—the tutor-caretaker (or better yet referred to as the manservant)—knew, his lady is definitely not fond of that Viscount. He released the breath that he was previously holding when the dark look was replaced with a frown, "I'll be there, but only for a short while—?"

The two halted in their footsteps, noticing that the crowds were quickly dispersing to the sides of the streets—their eyes wide in sheer shock and fear. They visibly sweatdropped when they turned around to see what the sudden commotion was about. In the distance, a man was hysterically screaming for people to "look out" whilst trying desperately to regain control of the carriage he was handling. Kaien and Luimere only snapped out of their temporary shocked state when they realized the rampaging carriage was heading straight for their own—running over them first if they don't get out of the way soon.

"Luimere!"

If Kaien hadn't a strong will, he would have passed out from watching his lady—in a split second—bracing herself and leaping onto one of the horse's back as the carriage rushed by after they had stepped out of the way. The horses stopped their rampage as Luimere tugged hard on their reigns, bringing the carriage to a safe stop—inches from colliding with their carriage.

For a moment, all was silent as everyone stared on with their mouths agape and eyes wide.

Then there was a sudden ovation.

Luimere pulled a face, sweatdropping. _Since when did this become a show…?_

"Is everyone okay—Ichijo-kun!" The pale blue-haired noble raised an eyebrow at Kaien's outburst—the light brunet had managed to catch up and took the liberty of making sure that the passengers inside were all right. A head of blond poked out of the entrance as emerald green eyes greeted her sapphire blue ones. "Takuma," Luimere mused nonchalantly, moving to get off the horse—talk about coincidences.

The blond vampire jumped off his ride and rushed forward to bring her into a hug, in which she grunted slightly from the force he used unintentionally in his enthusiasm. "Lui-chan! It's been way too long! How have you been? Why didn't you tell me you were returning?"

The noble sweatdropped again, struggling to peel the arms away from her neck. "Takuma, we just talked over the phone _yesterday_ and I already told you that I'm coming back today—you were just being distracted by your mangas as usual."

Luimere hadn't the time to recover from the sudden meeting and was surprised further when she heard a strangely familiar voice calling from inside the carriage—"Aunt Lui?" Her sapphire blue eyes caught sight of dark gray hair and an azure eye, the other eye was concealed by an eye-patch.

"Is that you, Ciel?"

Stepping off the carriage, the Phantomhive earl approached the pale blue-haired noble—who had finally managed to detach herself from Ichijo's arms. "It's been a while, Aunt Lui. I haven't seen or heard from you since you left to travel to the south-eastern continent a year and a half ago." Ciel greeted with a small smile, earning a light pat to his head.

"My apologies, I would have called but I was afraid that you had your hands full with your company business and _side job_. Speaking of which, I see you have grown quite a bit, Ciel."

The conversation was briefly interrupted when Madam Red and Lau had decided to make their presence known, as well as curious as to the unexpected newcomer. Ciel stood in front of Luimere and Kaien—who had came up to take his place beside his lady after checking on a paper-white coachman that was Grell. With a small bow, Luimere smiled politely and introduced herself.

"It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, my name is Luimere Matthews Middleford. And this is my manservant, Kaien Cross." The light brunet bowed in greeting as soon as his name was mentioned.

"Middleford?" Lau repeated in question.

"That's right—Lui-chan is the younger sister of the lead Knight Marquis Middleford, who happens to be Ciel's Aunt, Marchioness Frances' husband." Ichijo cheerily offered, once again attaching himself to Luimere's side—the blond vampire was very much attached to the pale blue-haired noble.

Adding on to the physical weight latching onto Luimere's side, Madam Red—in her excitement—held onto Luimere's hand and her eyes sparkled in delight at meeting a relative from her in-laws' family.

Ciel stood in the background beside a sheepish-looking Kaien, watching the scene.

He sighed in exasperation.

"This is going to take a while…"

_.…._

With papers strewn across the coffee table, the lounge was in an utter mess that went unnoticed by Kaname, who was seated in one of the armchairs in the room and immersed in analyzing the information that he, Zero and a particular demon he disliked had gathered.

It had probably been an hour or so that he had been striking off names on the list of possible suspects and he was tiring more quickly than usual. One of the reasons being that he was bothered by what Sebastian—he grunted at thinking of that demon's name—said to him before Zero had returned.

"_An elegant beauty with such vibrant spirit and power… Oh yes, you're very worthy of __enticing__ a demon's appetite, Master Kaname."_

Letting the papers in his hands flutter to the carpeted floor, the brunet raised a hand to remove the spectacles that he had on usually when he was dealing with his paperwork. His other hand's pale slender fingers came to rest on the side of his head, vaguely tracing a small circle with slight pressure to ease the dull ache of his grogginess—he sighed, closing his eyes.

Kaname then felt a pair of hands gently applying pressure on his tensed shoulders for a massage—he relaxed into the touch as he felt the knots in his muscles being undone. He breathed another sigh, but in relief. At that moment, the pureblood did not care who was behind him offering the little gesture. He was thankful that his muscles were not as stiff as they were before.

When he felt the stranger's hands moved from his shoulders to his chest, gently but swiftly unbuttoning his black dress-shirt. He opened his eyes slowly in irritation at recognizing the aura before him after feeling the pair of hands slip slyly into his clothes to touch his bare chest.

"Just what do you _think_ you're doing?" The brunet asked calmly, his glare barely affecting his perpetrator as he was visibly exhausted—it had been a long day but Kaname knew the dominant reason for his exhaustion was the demon before him.

Sebastian smiled as if he had not done anything wrong to annoy the pureblood, "Why, I'm helping you _relax_, Master Kaname." His voice was low and seductive, teasing the pureblood's senses. Sebastian was delighted when he earned a reaction from Kaname—his hands brushing past the latter's nipples underneath the thin cloth was enough to make the pureblood's breath hitch, followed by a soft moan.

Kaname was definitely the sensitive type that Sebastian liked— the demon licked his lips, pleased. He inched in closer to the pureblood's lips, drawing a little of Kaname's raw life force from his mouth. Realizing what Sebastian was doing, Kaname turned his head away weakly—only to have Sebastian gently grabbing his chin to turn him back to face him. Sebastian leant in closer until their lips were barely touching, "I was right, your soul is indeed, of the _finest_ quality that I have ever tasted." Kaname shuddered as Sebastian breathed out those words.

Before things could have been taken any further, however, Sebastian heard a clink of metal as something cold and hard was placed to the back of his head. Kaname's eyes focused on the person behind Sebastian, one hand holding a tray of tea and snacks and the other with a silver gun with the name 'Bloody Rose' engraved on it. "Zero…" The pureblood breathed, still slightly dazed from the sensual teasing from Sebastian.

"What are you up to… _Demon_?"

Smirking, Sebastian raised both of his hands nonchalantly and turned to a scowling Zero. "_Jealous_, are we now? But you do realize that while I have every right to devour another soul other than my current contractor, I do not mean any harm with _this_?"

The silver-haired butler narrowed his lilac eyes, silently threatening the demon. Sebastian briefly let his eyes close as he stood up, backing off from Kaname—who had already snapped out of his daze and had gotten up to approach Zero. It was when Kaname rested a hand on Zero's hand that was holding Bloody Rose that he sent another glare at Sebastian before keeping his gun.

Leaving the demon to organize the lounge, Kaname made his way to his bedroom with Zero at his heels in silence.

When the door to his room closed, Kaname turned around to face Zero, who greeted him with what the pureblood assumed to be a glare and pout put together—Zero was certainly not intimidating at the moment but rather adorable in Kaname's opinion. It was then, Zero sighed heavily with a hand to his face.

"I know you tend to be a workaholic at times, but could you at least _try_ to take care of yourself more! I won't be constantly on the watch lest you get attacked or become a meal for—mmpf!"

Zero's loud nagging come to an abrupt halt as Kaname took the opportunity to bring him into a deep kiss, entangling their tongues together as he pushed Zero against the door. The silver-haired butler felt his knees go weak at the sudden heated kiss and his face blushed crimson. The two vampires gasped for air when they broke the kiss and Kaname rested his forehead in the juncture between Zero's neck and shoulder.

Kaname chuckled, his hot breath tickling Zero's senses and making him flushed redder. "You're just like a _petulant_ child, unwilling to admit that he was jealous and tries to justify his own actions in an attempt to convince himself that it was because of something else entirely…"

"Wha—! Whoever said I was—" "It made me happy." The silver-haired butler stopped his protesting as he raised an eyebrow, glancing at Kaname who still had his head resting on Zero's shoulder. "The very fact that you were jealous… made me really happy." The brunet clarified, knowing that his butler was obviously baffled at what he was delighted about.

Zero breathed out a sigh, muttering a "Baka" underneath his breath at the same time. The two remained in that position for a moment until Zero prompted a question, "You haven't had any blood for these past few days, have you?" His young master only replied with a chuckle again, which he frowned in return.

Pushing the pureblood off none too gently and leading him to the bed, Zero silently pushed Kaname onto the bed. He watched with a knowing smile as Zero undid his tie and the top few buttons on his shirt to expose his neck. The brunet then reached up, pulling the silver-haired butler down as he swiftly switched their positions—Zero grunted, not the least bit pleased at their positions. "Hurry up and drink already. I can tell you're tired." He said in a flat tone, wanting to get it over and done with.

Kaname smiled, "You read me too well, but is that how you ask your _master_ to drink your blood?" His reply was a soft snort as he leant forward and ran his tongue along the exposed skin, biting softly at the flesh where Zero's tattoo was. Zero was once again flushed, but struggling to suppress his moans of pleasure at being teased. He lost all control, however, when Kaname sank his elongated fangs into an artery, drawing blood from him to satisfy his hunger.

Zero's moans were muffled after a moment—Kaname having took the liberty of capturing his butler's lips in another kiss.

Meanwhile, Sebastian stood outside the door to the pureblood's bedroom with an arm holding onto the stack of papers that were previously lying around in the lounge. He smirked, licking his lips again—he had very much wanted to have another taste of Kaname but he was curious as to how Zero would taste. Both had such strong wills and spirit that Sebastian was tempted to take their souls along with Ciel's. On the other hand, the two vampires were also fun to provoke.

The demon chuckled—he had finally found _something_ fun to play with.

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**Alright, that concludes this chapter. I hope everyone has enjoyed it :)**

**The next update might take more time for me to complete, seeing as I have an on-off writer's block going on so many apologies in advance as well as for the short chapter.**

**Please read and REVIEW! My reasons for the slow updates on this fanfic is also because I have difficulty trying to come up with some scenes to throw into the empty spaces where the VK characters are supposed to come in! SO PLEASE REVIEW!**

…**Yes, I'm begging everyone here, so please, once again, PLEASE REVIEW!**

**EDIT: Sorry, I had forgotten that I already gave Matthews a name-"Luimere"-before at the start of this story so I had to re-edit the things a bit .  
**

**~Kuro**


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